Stories of Love and Friendship
by Monica121
Summary: HSM Romance Theme Challenge. 35 oneshots, based on themes provided. Fluff and Romance. TxG
1. Friends

So I've decided to take up a challenge given to me by **KendrixAimeeOliver** This is cool. It'll give me a lot of new ideas and creativity. At least, I hope so.

There are some guidelines I have to follow, and a specified list of things I should try. So expect there to be 35 chapters.

But note that the chapters **ARE NOT RELATED. **They are each **ONESHOTS**.

So here is the first. The theme is: **Friends.**

---

"Come on Troy!" Gabriella laughed as she ran up to the photo booth.

Troy trudged behind her, weighted down with things they had acquired during the day—cotton candy, some popcorn, a tee shirt, and one very large elephant.

"I'm coming," He grumbled.

"Oh, come on slow poke!" She yelled.

He laughed and finally entered the booth.

Gabriella pushed a dollar into the slot, and Troy put in another for doubles.

"Okay, ready?" Gabriella asked. "Look into there!"

There was a quick snap, and the picture was taken.

"Okay, a silly one now!" Gabriella said, excited.

Troy rolled his eyes for the camera. Not only did it make him look 'silly' like Gabriella wanted, but it also completely expressed his emotion towards the whole photo booth thing.

"Okay, uh…" Gabriella looked very lost in thought. "Another funny one!" She pulled on her cheeks, and stuck out her tongue, and Troy just laughed. The picture snapped.

"You look like a monkey when you do that."

Gabriella glared at him, and while he laughed some more, the last picture took.

They exited the booth, and waited for their pictures to print.

"You are such a dork," Troy said.

"Oh, don't be so mean," Gabriella said laughing.

Just then, the first set of photos finished printing.

"I'm a dork?" Gabriella said, quickly scooping up the set. "Look at this one!" She pointed to the one where Troy was rolling his eyes.

Troy looked at it, and then said defensively, "You _said _to make a funny face."

Gabriella just laughed. "Oh, get over it."

Troy playfully glared at her.

"Where to next?"

Troy shrugged. "I dunno. Can we go and stick these in the car?" Troy asked, motioning to the elephant, and the other things in his arms.

Gabriella shrugged. "Sure."

They walked over to the car, and unloaded their souvenirs from the day.

"You are such a wimp," Gabriella said laughing. "You couldn't carry that around?"

Troy pretended to be offended. "Oh, come on! I had to carry it around _all day." _

"Aw, poor baby," Gabriella said.

Troy pouted. "That's right."

They stared at each other for a second before bursting out laughing.

"Okay, come on, let's go!" Gabriella said, running back towards the carnival.

Troy grumbled and followed her.

"Wimp!" Gabriella called behind her, giggling as she had been all day.

She ran over to the Ferris wheel, which had a surprisingly short line. She entered a cart, and Troy almost didn't get on.

"Come on Troy!" Gabriella yelled.

Troy winced, but entered the cart. The Ferris wheel began to move.

Shutting his eyes firmly, Troy held on really tight to the side of the cart.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked him with deep concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered.

"You don't like fine."

"I, uh, don't like heights."

Gabriella gasped. "Oh, Troy, I'm sorry!

"Don't worry about it," Troy said, still not opening his eyes. "You didn't know."

Gabriella just rubbed his back the whole ride, trying to make him feel better. When they got off, Gabriella gave him a hug. "Thanks for going on. I didn't know you were afraid of heights."

"Don't worry about it," Troy said. "It was nothing."

Gabriella gave him another hug and said, "You're a great friend Troy."

He hugged her back, and then she began to look around for another ride. She seemed to have spotted one because she began running to some very scary looking apparatus.

"Yeah," Troy agreed smiling, once she was far enough away. "Friends."

---

So, not my best work. I'm not good with friendship fics. But I thought I'd give it a shot. Expect the next one to be MUCH better. I promise. You know I'm good with fluff ;)

Love,  
Monica


	2. Running

So I'm guessing these themes are open for interpretation. The next theme is **running. **When I read it, I had several ideas run through my mind, and several plot lines. So here is the one I picked!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

---

"Troy, I don't know," Gabi said to me. _I will not beg. I will not beg. I will not beg._ "I mean, it's just not my thing." _I will not beg. I will not beg. I will not—aw, screw it, I'm gonna beg. _

"Come on Gabi, please?" I asked, giving her my best puppy dog look. She can't resist the puppy dog look. I know she can't.

"Troy, don't give me that look."

I just stared at her, trying to make my eyes as big as possible.

She sighed really hard. "I will _think_ about it."

I grinned. I knew that meant she'd probably join.

See, on the off season for basketball, I'm on the track team. Keeps me in shape. But I know that if I do track, I'll have **zero **time to spend with Gabriella. So I tried to convince her to join.

"Come on, please?" I continued with the puppy dog look.

She sighed again. "I will ask my mom, okay? That's all I can promise."

I grinned. "That's good enough for me." I leaned over and kissed her.

**Later that Night**

"Hello?" I said into my cell phone. It was Gabriella.

"Hey," She said.

"Well…?" I asked, knowing the reason she called.

"Well…" She said slowly.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Well…"

"Yeah?" I asked, getting slightly anxious.

"Well…"

"Gabriella!"

"Okay, fine, sorry," She said laughing.

"Well?"

"Well, my mom said…"

"Gabriella…" I warned jokingly.

"Well, she said if it was something I wanted to do, that I could."

"That's great!"

"But…"

"But?"

"I… I don't know if I really want to do it…"

"Gabriella, please?"

"…Okay."

I grinned.

"You won't regret it, I promise."

"Well, I gotta go."

"Okay, see you tomorrow,"

"Bye."

**At the First Meet of the Year**

"You nervous?" I asked, looking at her being all jittery.

"Well, yeah, I've never, ever raced or anything."

I kissed the top of her head. "You'll do great. You are one of the fastest girls during practices."

She shrugged and I gave her a hug.

I heard the intercom call for my event to begin to make our way to the track, so I gave her a final kiss, and took off.

**After The Race**

"It's okay Troy," Gabriella said to me. "You win some, you lose some."

"But I came in fifth!" I said, mostly angry at myself then at anyone else in particular.

"I know, but you put too much pressure on yourself. Sometimes its okay to not place first."

I shrugged and then muttered something about needed to walk it off. I knew I was being kind of a jerk, but I knew if I hung around there for now, I'd take my frustration out on her.

I heard them call for her race, and she began to make her way to the track.

**After Gabriella's Race**

"Congrats," I said to her begrudgingly.

"Don't sound so excited," She said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, you didn't even really want to do track in the first place, and you take first…"

"Come on Troy, you still have another event today. You can still place well."

I shrugged and noticed one of my basketball friends waving behind Gabriella and just took off in his direction.

I knew I was being a jerk, but I couldn't help it. I don't understand _why _I was upset. I usually didn't get like this over losses. I should be happy. My girlfriend, who, even though I had yet to tell her, I loved very much, had just placed first at her first meet ever. She did wonderfully. And yet I was sulking over my near last place finish.

I looked around, and found a tree to sit under and think, while I waited for them to call my race.

**After the Meet**

I found her later, laughing with Taylor. But I noticed something about her eyes, as she chuckled. Her eyes weren't sparkling. Something was bothering her. And I had a feeling I knew what it was.

I walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What do you want?" She asked icily.

"Uh, can I talk to you for a second…?" I asked unsurely.

She sighed, and then nodded. I walked over to the tree I had been sitting under earlier, and slid to the ground. With a pleading look on my face, I patted the spot in the grass next to me, hoping she'd sit. Reluctantly she did.

"Well?" She asked.

"I just wanted to apologize. I acted like a jerk earlier."

She mumbled something that sounded distinctly like 'That's the understatement of the year.'

I winced, and continued. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you."

"I take it you finished first in your race then?" She asked in the same icy manner she had been speaking since I found her.

Ouch. She thought I was apologizing because I placed well.

"Actually, no," I said.

She raised her eyebrow. "Really? Then how'd you place?"

"Last."

"Oh, Troy, I'm sorry!" She said. And she actually sounded genuinely sorry. It just made me feel worse.

I shrugged and continued. "You know why I did? Because I didn't focus. I was worried about having taking my frustration out on you."

She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No," I said firmly. "Don't be sorry. It was my fault."

She smiled lightly, and hugged me, putting her face in the crook of my neck.

"You'll do better next time. You were just stressed." She mumbled into my neck.

I half smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess."

"Besides," she whispered. "Who ever said you had to be the track guy?"

And to that, I grinned.

---

Okay, so… Hmm. Something about this. I don't know. I don't know how much I liked it. I wanted to do something realistic, that I could see honestly happening to real people. I don't know how well I accomplished it. Hopefully y'all like it at least…. And I am really hoping the next one will be better. I haven't gotten off to the best foot with the first two…

Oh, and if all goes well, I WILL have my new HP oneshot up today. Wish me luck!

Love,   
Monica


	3. Running II

Okay, so after I wrote Running I, I came up with this idea for Running II. I didn't want to take Running I down, but I really wanted to put Running II up, so I'm just going to have them both, and have the whole story be 36 chapters, instead of 35…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Hehe, I love reviews. Some would say I am a review hoarder. To those people, I would say you are probably right ;) **Winter Sapphire**, I'm just wondering what you meant by inside jokes? I'd run over to the forum and ask you, but I barely have time to write, let alone visit the forum. I have two hours of softball every day after school, then I get home and have to do HW.

---

_Setting the Scene: Gabriella and Troy are walking home, just making small talk. They are not a couple, nor have they even mentioned their almost-kiss after the basketball game. Then…_

"Um… Gabriella?"

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Troy stops walking, and gets this funny look on his face. "Gabriella?"

"Yes Troy?" I ask again.

"I have to tell you something."

I nod, signifying for him to continue. His face scans mine, obviously searching for something. For what, I do not know.

"Gabriella, I like you." Oh no. "I mean," he stutters, "I really like you." Oh no.

I gulp. I can't handle this. Not now. There are a few moments where neither of us says anything at all, and it goes on until I can't take it anymore.

"Troy, I have to go." I begin to walk away slowly, and then when I am about five feet away, I begin to run. I feel tears well up in my eyes. I don't want to run, but I have to. I know I do.

I hear fast paced footsteps behind me. He's running after me. Why is he running after me? I speed up, in hopes of shaking him off. No luck. I feel him take hold of my arm, and I slow to a walk.

"Why are you running?" He asks me, hurt evident in his voice.

"Troy," I say, my voice shaking from trying to hold back my tears. "I can't."

"Why though? Why not?" His eyes show hurt and anguish, and I'm sure mine don't look that much different.

"Troy," I say. Now unable to restrain them, the tears spill down my cheeks. "Troy, don't do this. I hurt people." My voice is shaking, and I know I must be a mess. "I can't be with you. I hurt people. I leave."

He looks at me for a second. "You're running," Is all he says. He turns and walks away, and leaving me to contemplate what he said. I am running, he tells me.

We don't talk for a few days after that. I'm miserable the whole time. But I just don't know how to face him. It's not like I don't want to be with him. It's that I can't. I hurt people. I've had two boyfriends before Troy, and just when I would start falling in love, my mom would announce that we were moving. Again.

I refuse, _refuse _to do that with Troy.

It would hurt us both.

So my resolution to avoid Troy at all costs is working. That's when I make a big mistake. I lose my purse.

"Taylor," I say when I see her and Chad in the hall. "Have you seen my purse?" I am frantic. I've been looking for it since lunch. It is the end of the day now.

"No, I hav—" Taylor begins, but Chad cuts her off.

"Is it black?" I nod. "And about," he motions with his hands, "this big?" I nod again.

"Troy has it."

"Troy?" I say. "Troy Bolton?"

"Well, yes, I don't really know any other Troys…"

I sigh really hard. "And where is he?"

Chad thinks for a second. "Probably on the roof."

I must look frustrated because then Chad says, "He didn't take it you know. It was on a table at the end of lunch, and Troy recognized it as yours. He was going to give it to Taylor to give to you."

"Oh, I haven't seen him all day," Taylor says. "That's probably why he didn't give it to me."

I close my eyes, and count to five slowly. I mentally prepare myself for what is about to happen.

"Thanks Chad," I hear myself say.

I make my way to our, I mean, _Troy's _secret spot as slow as possible. I am not looking forward to seeing him.

I finally reach the top, and Troy is leaning against the bench. His eyes are closed, like he is in deep thought.

"Troy?" I say meekly. This is not a conversation that I am looking forward to.

Troy's eyes flutter open quickly, as he suddenly becomes award of my presence.

"Gabriella," He said softly.

I will not allow him to see me hurt. I will not allow him to affect me because he is hurt. It would just hurt us both more in the end. Do I even make any sense anymore?

"Troy," I say. Not loudly, or softly, but in a stiff tone. "Chad told me you had my purse?"

He looks at me, and I can tell he's trying to read me. I will not allow myself to be weak. He can't know that I lov—that I like him.

"I, uh, yeah, I do."

"Well, can I have it?"

I will maintain my composer. I will not start crying. Suddenly though, he messes me up.

"By trying to 'protect' me, you're running. You're hurting more people by trying to save everyone. Why don't you just do what you feel for once Gabriella?"

I look at him. I feel like his eyes are boring into my soul. I don't know what to say.

"Troy, we can't do this."

"Why not Gabriella? I know you must feel _something _for me. Even something small. Otherwise, you wouldn't be as upset as Taylor says you've been all week."

I will kill Taylor. But he's right. I do feel something for him. Something big. And that's when the tears that I've been holding back for days, the tears that I've been telling myself aren't okay to cry, that's when they fall.

"Troy, I hurt people!" I scream. "Don't you understand! I'll leave! I always do! And then I'll be more hurt then ever!"

He looks at me, and then slowly approaches me.

"Gabriella," he says softly. "Running to protect people is still running."

I sink to the floor. He's right. I know he is.

"Troy, we can't do this."

"Gabriella, I love you."

I take my face out of my hands and I look at him. "W-what?"

"I love you," he says again. "And we can make it. Even if you move. Even if it's half-way across the country. I will find away so that we will be okay. But we can cross that bridge if we get there."

I don't know what to say, but before I can even think of anything, he's leaned in and kissed me.

He pulls away slowly, and I don't know what to say still. So I say the truth.

"I love you Troy."

---

Yay! I finally wrote one I like! Yay! I like this one more than the other running one. So I cheated a bit. I wrote two stories for the same theme. :Shrug: Oh well.

The next theme is song, so be on the lookout!

Love,  
Monica


	4. Song: Then I Did

Here is the next one! Song! I will not put the actual lyrics in the story, except for maybe an excerpt here or there… I've already been warned twice by fanfiction not to use lyrics, and if I have another offense, I'll be kicked off, so just imagine the lyrics are here. The song it was done to is** "Then I Did" by Rascal Flatts.** In all honesty, I worked the lyrics into the actual story, so if you are familiar with the song, you will be able to follow along no problem.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

---

Troy looked out the window in his seat. He was riding first class on a commercial airline. He was heading home to visit everyone from his mom and dad to Zeke, to Sharpay, to Chad. But not her.

As he exited the air craft, he thought about calling her. It happens to him every time he sees the skyline of Albuquerque.

He shouldn't miss her this much. He was just being crazy. It was really his fault. He was the one who took the position. Even though it was clear across the country. Troy had taken the job to play for the champions. The Detroit Pistons.

_Nah, _He convinced himself. _She's probably changed all her numbers anyway. It's been a year._

At least. If he added it up completely, it had been one year, two months, three days, two hours and seven minutes since he called her to tell her. Not that he was counting.

He shouldn't miss her this much. It was really his fault. He was the one who took the position. Even though it was clear across the country. Troy had taken the job to play for the champions. The Detroit Pistons.

Now, Michigan and New Mexico are quite a ways from each other. At least two and a half hours, on a plane, with the wind.

He had told her that he had gotten the job, and that he needed to take it. It was his big break. It was his once in a lifetime chance. He had to catch his dreams, he had told her. And that's what he had done.

_It's a gorgeous day, _Troy thought, as he drove through his old neighborhood in a rented car. It was funny. The car the company had given him was a convertible. Just like the old blue one he had had when they had been together.

As he passed by her mom's house, he thought of how they used to play hooky from class during their college years on days that were this beautiful. They would cut every now and then, and put the top down in that old convertible. They'd blast the music as loud as it would go, no matter what was playing.

They cut a lot of school back then. And with Gabriella as his tutor, it was never a problem.

She always pushed him as far as she knew he could go. She wanted him to be his best. She _made _him his best. He had graduated early, and was a straight A student.

She never let him use the word never when it came to his dreams. She never let him put himself down. She was always there for him. But not now. And it was all his fault.

Why had he left? Why had they broken up? Why hadn't he tried to contact her after?

He remembered their conversation perfectly. He had called her up to tell her he had gotten it. She hadn't even known that the Pistons were interested in him! But even so, she was completely focused on him. She worried about him, and not herself. Not their relationship.

She was excited for him, even. She said he had to go. It was his dream. He needed to catch it. She had agreed with him. She had said it was his big break. He couldn't let it slip away.

It had been the last time they had spoken. The last thing she had said to him. The last time he had listened to her.

Looking back though, they had both been wrong though. He shouldn't have been so focused on his career. He shouldn't have let the love of his life slip away from him.

What were dreams anyway? How had he been supposed to know what he **really **wanted anyway? He was only 21 for goodness sake!

And now she was gone.

_Maybe I **should **call her, _He thought again. He knew he couldn't though. He couldn't go back to the past. The same issues would still be there. Especially the distance. And how do you mend something that has been broken for so long? Was it even possible to do so?

It was the weather that did this to him, he tried to convince himself.

Not wanting to be alone with his thoughts, Troy flicked on the radio. Playing was a song Troy vaguely remembered from his high school years. It was an old Rascal Flatts song. If memory served, it was called Then I Did.

_Funny, _Troy thought as he listened to it. _This song was basically written for me._

He listened as it neared the end. _"Love was what I wanted all along." _

Troy couldn't bring himself to turn off the radio. It was a completely perfect song. At least, it was perfect for describing his mood.

"_You've been waiting all your life..."_

He had. He had waited his whole life for that once in a lifetime love. And when he had finally found it, even at the young age he had, he should have known how precious it was. But after college… he threw it away like it was worthless.

_I've been waiting all my life…_

He should have stuck with love. He should have played for the Spurs. They had offered him a great position. But no. He had had to play for the Champions.

And he would pay the price for the rest of his life, probably.

Love _was_ all he had wanted after all.

_And now you're gone…._

Even if he figured it out too late.

---

I just really, really wanted to do a fic where they **DIDN'T **end up together. I just really wanted to. I don't know why. So consider this a dramatic Troyella.

So did you like it? Have you heard of the song before? Did you listen to the song while reading?

Hope you review, and look out for the next one- Death. So I'm guessing that the next one won't be super happy either. Sorry about that. Didn't realize the next theme!

Love,  
Monica


	5. Death

Hey, I know I haven't updated in a while. I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy.

But here is the next one: Death

Thanks for the reviews, and a cookie to Troyella411, my 50th reviewer. Also cookies to: **Haunted Whisper, x3 Gabriella Montez x3, and Winter Sapphire, **for long reviews :)

Warnings for this one: Death, obviously, and some swearing. Mentions of God, or a higher power. I'm Catholic, but I don't want to force my religion on anyone- sorry if it offends you.

---

Investigators had opened the books unaffected. It had appeared to be a text book case. But they hadn't delved into the mind of a teenage girl grieving the love of her life. Yet.

_This text was complied using diary entries, and after speaking to family members and friends. _

Her body was numb. She couldn't believe it was happening to her. He couldn't be. He couldn't be. It was her mantra. The thought that ran through her mind consistently for the past few days.

The process started the day she heard the news. And she was sure it would be the death of her.

_Denial_

For days, weeks even, she had convinced herself that he wasn't gone. He wasn't. He couldn't be. He had promised.

He was her knight in basketball playing teenager's body. He had promised. He promised.

She was numb to the world around her. The rain fell, but its wetness didn't hit her. The sun blazed, but the heat did not reach her skin. The wind blew, and the air grew chilly, but her soul was much colder, and the wind did not faze her.

She was unreachable.

_Anger_

She continued like that for days on end. Then one day she was sitting in her room, when her mom came to give her something to eat. She hadn't eaten for days.

And what did she do? She yelled. A lot. She was pissed at everything, and at everyone. Even herself. She couldn't comprehend why it was happening to her.

It wasn't her fault. Or was it? It could have been. But she wasn't sure.

He was young. He was perfect. He was healthy. _And he was hers. _

She didn't understand it. How did that man come out okay? Did he regret what he did every day?

She vowed every single day to hate drunk drivers.

She hated the world anyway, then. Drunk drivers seemed minuscule in comparison.

_Bargaining_

She wondered if there was anything to reverse it. If she could just see his face one more time… if she could kiss him, touch his face, know that he was okay. She'd do anything for that.

Mostly she prayed. _God, please, send him back. Rewind time. Something. Let me see him again, please. Switch it. Let me go instead. I don't care. Just bring him back. I'll do anything._

But she felt as if she went unheard.

_Depression_

It became apparent, at least to her, that there was no way out. He wasn't coming back. They'd never be happy again. He'd never kiss her again, laugh, smile, or anything with her again.

That's what made the tears fall. That's what made her stop eating. That's what made her never sleep.

She withdrew from everyone. Her mother. Her friends.

Things weren't looking good for her.

_Acceptance_

_N/A_

This was when her case became so un-text book to the investigators. Gabriella Montez never reached acceptance.

Three months after the death of her fiancée, Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, age nineteen, the once smart, vibrant, beautiful, kind and caring Gabriella Montez, was found dead on the floor of her bedroom.

_Conclusion of the investigation:_

_  
Cause of Death: Broken Heart._

_---_

I don't like this. I don't like depressing things, and I don't think this came out very well. I didn't know how to write it, because I normally don't do death things. I'm sorry if I confused anyone. These were Gabriella's thoughts through the investigators' eyes. Does that make sense?

Let me know what you think!

Be on the look out for the next theme: Leaving.

I'll be updating quicker from now on, hopefully. I want to get everything finished by July 4, 2006. Let's see if I can do it ;)

Love,

Monica


	6. Leaving

Hey guys. I had to make myself write this chapter, basically. Six reviews. Just six. That's the lowest number I've had, ever.

But the six that DID review, THANK YOU! You made my day. So shout outs to all of you, and extra special Shout-outs to **Chaka, Haunted Whisper, and StarInHeaven. **Long reviews make my day even more special. :D

And a lot of you thought she killed herself, in the last chapter… I left it up to your interpretation ;)

I know it shouldn't be about the reviews, but they really, really do help inspire me. Just a thought.

Disclaimer: don't sue, I own nothing.

Next theme: Leaving.

---

Troy was shocked. Shocked and numb. It couldn't be over. He wouldn't allow it to be over. But he knew he had no control of it.

The day turned to night, and the air turned cold. He walked aimlessly around the city for hours. He felt as though his body were locked up—frozen forever. He had no control of his motions. His hands were shaking, and his shoulders shuddered. He was shivering all over, and it wasn't even very cold.

He wouldn't let it be over. It couldn't be over.

He hadn't cried. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't cry. Crying was a sign of weakness now. He had already shown so much weakness throughout the whole ordeal, and he knew that to show anymore would be the death of him.

Where had he gone wrong? Where had he failed her? When? Why?

He lost the last bit of control he still had over his legs, and collapsed to the ground.

She was leaving. She didn't want him anymore.

What had gone wrong? Had he grown distant? His eyes felt cold and empty. Hers were hurt and unsure. Yet she had been the one to end it.

Why?

Had he grown that far from her, that she couldn't see how much he needed her? How much he wanted her?

She was leaving. Going away, to New York or Miami, she wasn't sure. She had to get away. She had to leave New Mexico. She had to leave him.

She said she had to rediscover herself. Rediscover how to be happy. Troy knew that really meant she had to discover why she was **_un_**happy with _him_. He stopped making her happy, somehow.

Troy knew he had been distant, and far away. Cold. His job made him travel, and he wasn't around a lot. He didn't have, nor make, time to call her. He no longer sent her sweet things for no reason. He no longer kissed her just because.

He had promised her that he'd be there for her. Forever.

He ended up failing her. Forever.

And now she was leaving. Forever.

---

I don't know why I wrote it like this. It just came to me. Sorry if it sucked :-\ Short, I know, but I thought everything that had to be said was said.

Review! Pretty Please?

Next one up: Reunion.

Love,

Monica


	7. Reunion

Hey guys! I had more reviews last time, but still not as many as I had had for earlier chapters. -shrug- I still enjoy writing them, so I'm going to keep going.

Thanks to everyone who did review, and to everyone who read them. I love you all!

On with the next One-shot!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Theme: Reunion.

Oh! One more thing. I know that a lot of you were unsatisfied with the ending from the last one-shot. So this is a SEQUEL to the last one (leaving). So it is still a one-shot, but now it is a sequel one-shot. Enjoy!

---

It had been three years. Three long, excruciating years. He had not seen, nor spoken to her in that entire time. So he was left to contemplate. What if he had called her more when he was on the road? What if he had followed her, and _shown _her that he couldn't live without her? Couldn't he have down something? _Anything?_

And if he had, where would they be now? Dating still? Engaged? _Married? _

He wasn't completely clueless about her life now. Chad had kept him informed, because of his close ties with Taylor. _Close ties, _Troy thought bitterly to himself, _they're married!_

Chad and Taylor had—strangely enough—eloped. When Chad had proposed, Taylor had shed light on the whole thing for him. She thought large weddings were impractical, especially if they wanted to live comfortably. They could use the would-be wedding money on something like an apartment, or a nice vacation. But its seemed silly to use it all on one day.

Chad agreed, and so they had had a small service, with only their parents and siblings in attendance.

Troy wasn't offended that they hadn't invited him. He understood that Chad and Taylor wanted something very small.

The only thing that _had _disappointed him about the whole affair was the fact that he couldn't see Gabriella at the service.

But that had been a year ago. No use dwelling on it now.

At the age of twenty-four, he was beginning to wonder if he was completely insane. He wouldn't doubt it.

His NBA career had kept him much more than occupied. But there was still something missing in his life. And he knew exactly what it was. Early in his career, when he and Gabriella were still together, Troy had an almost perfect career. He still played well, but nothing like he used to.

She was a researcher now, for NASA. She was almost as busy as he was, and she didn't get to visit Chad and Taylor as much as she would like. At least that is what he heard from Chad. So she lived near NASA headquarters, and she was busy.

The rest of her life was shaded from him. Dark, and blank, and mysterious.

Until that day. He hadn't seen her in three years. He had a general idea of where she lived—he had looked up NASA up online, to figure out where equally the HQs were. She was living in Washington D.C. But it wasn't like he could just show up there. Not after three years.

He had an upcoming series in New York. Troy knew he shouldn't be dwelling on this Gabriella issue. It often threw off his game, if he allowed himself to think about it. It was just… _It had been three years since things had fallen apart, to the day. _

Three years since the day she left him. He shivered again. It was that feeling he got whenever he thought about her. That cold, empty feeling.

---

After the team flight, they took a limo to their hotel—the Plaza.

The team was enthusiastic about the upcoming series, expecting a win. So they were slightly rowdy while they made it up to their rooms. Troy, however, just slowly trudged after them.

He was still in deep thought about the whole Gabriella situation. But he didn't want to play poorly in tomorrow's game. He had to snap out of it.

A teammate had noticed he had fallen behind. "You okay?" He asked Troy.

He shrugged it off. "Yeah, fine."

The teammate (who was around Troy's age, and named Luke) looked unsure, but continued up to his room.

Troy decided he didn't want to sit in his room with nothing to do, so he decided to take a walk. He put on sunglasses, and tucked his hair under his hat, so that he was a little less recognizable.

The thing about having sunglasses on inside though, is that its hard to see where you are going.

He collided, head on, into a young woman.

Papers scattered everywhere, and Troy knew that the girl must have been carrying a folder or something of the like.

Troy bent down, to help her pick them up. She quickly gathered the papers into a pile, and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm never going to get these back in order!"

Troy recognized the voice and froze. "Gabriella?"

Gabriella stopped shuffling the papers. Troy lifted his sunglasses, and saw a look of panic on her face.

"Troy?"

Gabriella quickly shuffled her papers together, and though all the ends were facing strange directions, and it was more of a mess than it was a pile.

"I've, uh, gotta go."

She rushed to pick up her unsightly pile, and then quickly stood up.

"Gabriella, wait,"

"Troy, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get these organized. I have an important meeting tomorrow, and I really need to get these in order."

Troy couldn't let this chance get away from him. He had to be able to talk to her. "I could help you," he offered. _Please say yes, **please **say yes._

Gabriella frowned. She appeared to be having an internal battle. Troy's guess was that she could really use the help, but didn't want it to be from him.

"Well…" She sighed. "I could really use the help…"

"Done."

---

That's how he found himself sitting at a little table in the hotel's restaurant, sipping coffee, sifting through papers.

"So all the ones from the month of April go in this pile," Gabriella explained. "The ones from May, here, and June, here." As she said as this, she was pointing to spots on the table.

Troy nodded, and grabbed part of the unruly paper mess in front of him.

"So, uh," he began, "How have you been?" He didn't look up, and kept his eyes on his paper pile.

"I've been good. Busy. Yeah. Busy. Really busy." She sounded so nervous.

"Yeah, I know how that is." He paused. "So you've, uh, been good then?"

"Yeah. I have. Um," she stuttered.

"Yeah?" Troy asked.

"Never mind," she said. "So, uh, you've… you've been good?"

"Um. Well. Relatively speaking."

"Oh… Did something happen?"

"Well I—"

Troy was interrupted by a girl who must have been in her late teens, early twenties.

"Ohmygosh!" She said in one breath. "You're Troy Bolton!"

"Uh, yeah?" Troy said.

"O- M- G!" She yelled. Troy winced. Didn't people realize how… _lame _it was to use internet slang out loud? "Can I, like, have your autograph?"

Troy, being used to this kind of thing, said, "Uh, yeah, sure. Do you have a pen?"

The girl nodded and pulled out a permanent marker.

"Well, what would you like me to sign?"

The girl, much to Troy's chagrin, pulled down her top slightly. Not enough so that her… breasts… were exposed. But enough so that it was awkward.

"I, uh," He shot a look at Gabriella, who was rolling her eyes, and gathering her papers.

Wait. Gathering her papers?

"I'll see you later Troy," She said, and walked off with her stack.

The fan just stood there, waiting for her autograph.

Troy took the marker, and—wincing—signed the body part quickly.

He laid a twenty on the table for the coffees (it was the smallest bill he had, and he wasn't about to wait for change), and ran off towards the direction Gabriella had gone.

But she was already gone.

---

He wanted to bang his head against the wall. Smash his face into the counter. Do something to make him look like how he felt. He laid down on the hotel bed—it was almost ten thirty at night. Several hours since she had rushed off. And he had screwed himself over. _Actually, _he thought bitterly, _it was that girl's fault. _It felt good to blame someone. Especially someone who deserved it.

Then he got an idea. He quickly sat up, and dialed the number to the front desk.

He never used his status to manipulate a situation, but just this once… Besides, it was important.

"Hi, this is Troy Bolton."

"…" Troy listened for a moment as the concierge said something.

"Yes, that Troy Bolton."

"…"

"Well, I was wondering if you could please tell me what room number one Gabriella Montez was staying.

"…"

"I know it isn't a normal practice, but we had coffee earlier, and she accidentally took something that belonged to me."

"…"

"Of course I can get you an autograph, sir."

"…"

"The ninth floor? Room 125?"

"…"

"Thank you so much. And I'll personal bring you that autograph right after I run this errand."

"…"

"Thanks, you too. Bye."

Troy didn't bother to change. He was in some flannel pajama bottoms (his lucky ones) and a white wife-beater.

He was at the pent house, on the fifteenth floor. He didn't even bother with the elevator, and took the stairs.

He didn't pound on her door, so to speak, but he was definitely knocking forcefully.

That's when she slowly opened the door.

She had her wallet in her hands, as if preparing to tip. She was wearing some pink shorts, and a pink zip up, with a white tee-shirt underneath.

And she looked like a deer caught in headlights at that minute.

"Troy? What are you doing here?" She looked nervous.

There were some people quickly making their way down the hall way, and Troy panicked. He didn't want to be spotted by fans just now. That is why Gabriella had left before. He didn't want that to happen.

So carefully, Troy pushed the door open, and let himself in.

"Troy, what are you—"

Troy shook his head, and put a finger to his lips. With the other hand, he pointed to the people in the hall that were quickly approaching.

Gabriella's mouth formed a delicate 'o' but she stepped aside, allowing him entrance.

She quickly shut the door and turned around.

"You can't just show up at people's—"

"What, Gabriella? At people's hotel rooms?"

She flushed slightly, with embarrassment. "Yes, at people's hotel rooms!"

He wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. But he knew this was not the time to laugh.

His voice got soft. "Well, I had to talk to you somehow. I mean, you ran off earlier, before we got a chance to—"

"To what, Troy? Catch Up? Make awkward small talk? Did you **really **want to have to go through that? Come on, think about it."

Troy looked at her seriously. He didn't have to think about it. Raising his voice slightly, he said, "Of **course **I wanted to go through that Gabriella! Come on! Maybe you forgot. _Maybe_ it didn't mean anything to you. Maybe you were **glad **to find a way out. But I didn't. I didn't forget. I don't plan on forgetting. Don't you understand that? I'd rather make awkward small talk with you **any day **if it meant that I got to see you."

Gabriella looked up at him. Her voice was low, and stiff and serious.

"Do you think I _could _forget Troy? Do you think I could forget if I _tried_? Do you know how it feels to walk out on the one person that means the world to you, because _they _stopped caring?" She was breaking down, and her voice was cracking. "Do you know how it feels to _try _and get your life back in order? To _try _to move on? To be in a relationship—for a _year, _mind you—just desperately _trying _to make things work, but in the end they don't, because you still aren't over your ex?" She was sobbing now. "Talk to me about forgetting after you have, okay?"

Troy closed his eyes tightly, and sighed. He had made her cry. He hated making her cry.

Her words stung. He knew he had been the cause of everything. It was his fault. The way she was talking now… it sounded like she was filling the same way he was. Distressed, destroyed, and damaged.

She was sobbing now, so Troy took the chance, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him. She cried into his chest.

"Shhh, it'll be okay," he said comfortingly into her hair. "It's gonna be okay."

She was sobbing hard, and tried to say something, but it only came out as a muffled mess.

Troy pulled her away from him slightly, at a shoulders length. He looked into her eyes, and as cheesy as it was, he was searching for something. Some _hint _that she had been as unhappy as he had.

"Troy, why _now?" _She said through tears. "Why did you have to show up _now?"_

"Why not now?"

She slowly walked over to the bed and sat down. He could tell that she was exhausted.

"Well, I met someone."

"Oh," Troy said. He didn't know if he could take what she was about to say.

"And we were dating. We dated for a year Troy."

"Oh," Troy said, knowing he was sounding more defeated every second.

"And you know what? He broke up with me yesterday."

Troy didn't know whether to kill this guy, or kiss him. On one hand, he had hurt Gabriella. On the other hand, he made her single again. "Oh."

"And do you know why? He said that "couldn't be the second most important guy in my life" anymore. Do you know who he said was the first?"

Troy had trouble finding his voice. "Who?"

"You."

Troy's heart felt like it was about to burst. Could that mean…?

He looked at her again, and she was looking ashamed, and sad, and hurt. He rushed to her side.

"Gabriella, I'm so sorry that I ever, _ever _made you feel like that. Like I didn't love you. The truth is, I've been miserable without you. I'm sorry that I made things so bad that you felt like you had to walk out on me. I'm sorry that it felt like I threw everything away. I didn't. I swear to you. And I'm willing to take every moment of the rest of our lives to make it up to you. Just don't walk out on me again. _Please_, don't walk out. I couldn't take it. Not again."

Gabriella looked at him, with so much hurt in her eyes. But there was something else too. There was something that made Troy's heart soar. There was hope.

She threw her arms around him and cried.

"I love you Gabi, I love you so much."

And somehow, even though she didn't say anything, he knew that she felt the same. He knew that things were going to be okay.

---

Woah. Can you say **long? **Hope you enjoyed it. I played with a few options on here. Like having them not end up together. But I couldn't do that—especially after most of them had been sad lately.

And I preferred the idea of an individual and personal reunion, as opposed to, like, a public reunion or something. Like a high school reunion. So I hope you liked it, and I hope the length made up for the last one.

Love,

Monica


	8. Sports

I'm sorry I haven't written in so long… I just lacked motivation, and I've been busy to boot. But I hope you still enjoy reading :)

Oh and for this fic… I know that sports seasons aren't ACTUALLY all at once… but in America, you can practically watch any sport known to man on TV at any time of day. So that should make it make some more sense ;)

So here we are again. Thanks for the response from all you reviewers, you really make my day. I can't stress enough the importance of the reviews I receive, because they really make me want to continue to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Sorry.

This next theme is **Sports.**

---

---

_Monday _

"So you see, you take the measure of the arc, over three-sixty, and then times it by the area of the… Troy are you listening to me?" Gabriella asked, as she once again tried to get the attention of her boyfrie… best friend. '_I __**wish **__he was my boyfriend,' _Gabriella thought to herself dejectedly. '_But he's too busy to even realize that I like him.' _

"Huh? What?" He asked, snapping his head around, from where it had been focusing intently on the door.

"Troy, are you… wait a second! You were trying to hear the football score from downstairs again, weren't you?" She accused him.

Troy had the decency to look guilty. "Sorry Gabriella," he said, frowning slightly.

Gabriella sighed. "Come on Troy, you said you wanted to get a good grade on the test tomorrow."

Troy sighed again. "I know, I know Gabriella. I'm trying to focus, really I am."

---

_Tuesday_

After school, Gabriella wandered over to Troy's locker. "Math?" She asked hesitantly, knowing it could be a touchy subject for her best friend.

Troy shrugged. "I don't know, it was alright." Gabriella knew that tone. Things had not gone as he had wanted.

"It's just one test," Gabriella reassured him.

Troy frowned. "Thanks Gabi, but I know its my own fault if I did badly. You tried to help."

Had he not already been in a bad mood, Gabriella would have teased him about no more sports while studying.

Troy glanced at the clock, and then muttered a quick, "_Shoot."_

Gabriella looked at the clock as well. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Basketball," she said as casually as she could. She had never minded that he played basketball. But suddenly, there seemed to be ten times more practices than normal, and he had seemed to use them as an excuse not to hang out.

Troy did look like he felt bad. "Yeah. I…" He looked like he wanted to say something else. "We're still on for later, right?" He asked.

Somehow, she didn't think that's what he had been planning on saying.

---

_Wednesday_

Gabriella waited as the phone rang. Finally, right before she was about to hang up, Troy answered. "Hey Gabriella," Troy said, a smile evident through his tone.

"Hey Troy," Gabriella said, "I was just calling about this weekend." Yesterday after basketball, he had invited her to go to a game with him on Friday night.

"Oh, yeah?" Troy asked, his tone growing more cheerful than before. "What did your mom say?"

Gabriella smiled into the phone. "She said that that was fine." She paused for a moment, and then said, "So what are you doing?"

"Oh," Troy said, his voice faltering a bit. "I'm… uh… I was actually watching a soccer game my dad had taped."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but didn't let her smile fade. "Oh, I'll… uh. Leave you to it then."

Troy sounded offended. "Oh no you won't!" he scoffed jokingly. "As I said, it is taped. Are you daring to say that I would choose a soccer game over you?"

Gabriella didn't respond. When Troy answered, he sounded offended for real. "Oh, Gabi, you didn't actually think I wouldn't want to talk to you, did you?"

Gabriella bit her lip, but then said quickly. "No, no, of course not!"

She could feel Troy smile over the phone again. "Good."

---

_Thursday _

Troy met Gabriella at her locker at the end of the day. "Hey, I know we had plans…" Troy started very miserably, "But… uh… Chad just called me. You know how he was out of school today? He was supposed to coach his brother's lacrosse team today. He asked me if I could fill in."

Gabriella had rather been looking forward to their afternoon plans—it was one of the rare days he hadn't had practice lately.

"Oh." Gabriella said shortly, trying to hide her disappointment. "Oh." She said again. "That's fine. We are still on for tomorrow, at least, right?"

Troy looked surprised. "Of course we are!" He assured her quickly.

Gabriella managed a smile. "Okay, good. Well, you better go then…" She said sadly.

---

_Friday_

Gabriella was all smiles. She hadn't been able to see Troy almost the entire week, and now she was here at a Friday night baseball game with him. There was even going to be a fireworks show afterward!

She and Troy had been having a great time. She didn't mind watching sports… most of the time. It just wasn't an everyday occurrence for her. What had really made the evening for her though, was that she had been planning on a disturbance from either Chad, or a sudden basketball practice that popped out of no where, or else something she hadn't foreseen. But so far, it had been a perfectly quiet, fun night, just the two of them.

It was the middle of the fifth inning, when Gabriella heard the voice of the announcer. "Will you please turn your attention to the scoreboard in left field for tonight's announcements," the voice announced.

Gabriella, who had been to other sporting events before, turned to the board, knowing there would be such announcements as "Happy 12th Birthday Frankie!" and "Have a wonderful anniversary, Bill and Sharon!"

Half way through them, she noticed Troy getting a little jittery. "You okay?" she asked.

He hadn't torn his eyes away from the board. "Yeah, fine," he said quietly. Gabriella wasn't convinced, but she too focused her attention back on the board. After another minute, a message appeared on the board that made Gabriella's heart stop.

_I love you Gabriella Montez._

It flashed on the screen for a moment, before switching to, _Happy Birthday Rose!_

The people around them had been unmoved by the announcements. Not like Gabriella had. She looked at Troy, a question in her eyes. He had gone white. He was biting his lip so hard that she was worried he'd pierce it and bleed.

"Troy, you…" Gabriella's voice trailed off.

"Gabi," Troy said, not looking at her. "I know lately it seems I've been preoccupied. I just didn't know how to act around you… so I tried to avoid focusing on you. I've watched more sports this week than I have in the past six months." He allowed himself a half smile, and said, "And that's saying something."

Gabriella's eyes were watering. Before she could say anything though, there was a cheer from the crowd, meaning the home team was heading back onto the field.

Troy wasn't paying attention to that though. "And I know it's incredibly corny, and I'm sorry for putting it on the scoreboard, but I just didn't know how else to say it."

Gabriella smiled, and turned his head toward her. "Troy… it was perfect. You know… I think I'm even beginning to take a liking to some sports."

Troy raised his eyebrows at her. She hadn't exactly given him a straight answer.

"Troy, I love you too. That was perfect. Thank y—"

She never finished. She would always remember though, that her and Troy's first kiss had taken place at a baseball game. From then on, she had an odd appreciation for all things sports.

---

---

Okay, not my best work. I just needed something to get me back into the swing of writing. I should finish up all of my HSM stories soon (yes, including My Dad Taught Me). I know it's been a while guys. I'm really sorry about that. I just didn't have time for a while, and I lost interest.

For any of my Harry Potter fans, I'm sorry to say, I'm completely discontinuing those stories. After reading Deathly Hallows, I just can't continue them. Sorry for all of the people who read and enjoyed those stories.

She's the Man fans—I WILL finish Honestly. I just don't know when. Be on the lookout!

That's all for now… Be on the look out for the next one (**Musical**) soon! And like I said, keep your eyes open for updates on other things as well.

Much Love,

Monica


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